MLB moves two Cubs-Astros games to Miller Park

Published 5:30 am, Saturday, September 13, 2008

Miller Park in Milwaukee, which features a retractable roof, is the option for the Astros and Cubs.

Miller Park in Milwaukee, which features a retractable roof, is the option for the Astros and Cubs.

Photo: MARK HERTZBERG, AP

MLB moves two Cubs-Astros games to Miller Park

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Because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike, the Astros will play two games against the Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee’s Miller Park. The first will be Sunday night at 7:05 p.m., and the second will be Monday at 1:05 p.m.

The Astros had been scheduled to start a three-game series against the Cubs at Minute Maid Park on Friday night, but they postponed the Friday and Saturday games with the hope of playing Sunday and/or Monday in Houston. The final game of the previously scheduled three-game series will be at Minute Maid Park on Sept. 29 if it’s needed to determine the National League wild-card winners.

The Astros, who are 2 ½ games behind the wild card-leading Milwaukee Brewers, will give fans with tickets to the relocated Cubs games exchange and refund information later this week.

Decision was bigger than baseball

Although Minute Maid Park withstood Ike’s wrath better than most of downtown, the decision was made to move the games to Milwaukee.

“We just felt with all the devastation of the hurricane and that because most people have been without power, we just felt that it was improper to be playing baseball tomorrow or Monday with all the hardship everybody is dealing with in Houston.”

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In consultation with commissioner Bud Selig and the Cubs, several neutral sites had been considered, including Minnesota, Atlanta and Cincinnati.

“Give credit to the commissioner. He hammered out,” said McLane, who was in constant phone conversation with Selig since Thursday.

The Cubs are one of the biggest draws in Houston, and the Astros will lose more than $3 million by moving the games to Milwaukee. But if the Astros continue their late surge in the standings and the Sept. 29 game is needed, it surely will be a sellout.

“If it all comes tied down at the end of the season we could play the third game in Houston,” McLane said. “We’re giving up the revenue that we would have had.

“This is costly for us. This is painful for us, but we felt for our fans and our city we needed to move these games. This is the right thing to do for our fans. We have a great chance to win the wild card and we think this will give them something to cheer them up.”

Safety a concern despite miminal damage

Minute Maid Park survived Hurricane Ike with only minor water damage at Union Station, and the stadium is ready for use whenever it's safe enough to play a game downtown.

“We’d hate to play our game in Houston if there’s still lots of suffering in the city,” McLane said.

On Thursday, the Astros postponed Friday's and Saturday's games against the Cubs before Ike's landfall. The Astros are set to start a six-game road trip through Florida and Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

McLane said the top priority will be the safety of fans. "We don't want to play a game if folks are stressing with their homes," he said. "The safety of our fans is most important."

He was relieved that the stadium itself fared so well.

"It just shows how well that stadium is designed," he said. "It came through in great shape."

Preparations pay off

Bobby Forrest, Astros vice president of building operations, was one of 49 Astros employees who remained in the stadium overnight to monitor it.

Astros Director of engineering David McKenzie and Building Operations Coordinator Austin Malone have been with Forrest overnight at Minute Maid Park since Thursday. "They did a great job," said Forrest, in his 14th season with the Astros.

Forrest credited his group's readiness, saying previous emergency drills helped prepare them. The most recent drills were for Hurricane Gustav, over the Labor Day weekend, and Eduoard in August.